The present invention relates to a simplified apparatus for centering and spreading laundry articles on the conveyor of a machine automatically feeding such articles to a commercial laundry ironer. Typically, the articles of concern in the commercial ironing process are flat-work articles, such as bed-sheet, table-cloths, pillow-cases, and the like. The automatic feeding machines employed in the ironing process generally are comprised of a conveyor, on which the laundry articles are laid for feeding to a commercial ironer, and several clipping means, which are conveyed in carriages, for gripping adjacent corners or edges of the particular article. When the carriages, each with respective clipping means, are drawn apart, centering and stretching of the leading edge of the article across the front of the inlet end surface of the conveyor is achieved. Subsequently, the article is released from the clipping means and transferred over the inlet end surface of the automatic feeding conveyor by a transfer mechanism.
Upon emerging from the commercial ironer, the articles then are fed to a folding apparatus, which causes several folds to be made in the articles. Generally, an initial primary fold is made by the folding apparatus, the fold being made about a primary fold line which bisects the width of the article and extends the entire length of the article. Subsequent to making a primary fold, the folding apparatus makes several cross folds in the article. For the folding process to result in uniform folds, and to avoid crossfolding errors, it is necessary that the article be accurately centered on the inlet end of the automatic feeding conveyor.
Several devices are known in the art which center and spread laundry on the automatic feeding conveyor. These devices achieve accurate centering of laundry articles by employing clipping means contained in movable carriages as described above. The carriages in these prior art devices start from a position located at either the side or center of the conveyor. The carriages synchronously move in outward directions from the conveyor center until the entire leading edge of the laundry article has been fully extended and centered over the conveyor surface.
However, a major disadvantage of these prior art devices is the large number of parts and elements employed in achieving the fast and accurate centering and spreading of laundry articles. Because of this complexity, problems are incurred in both the maintenance and replacement for such devices. As a result, the prior art devices are necessarily costly both to operate and maintain and are not as reliable as a more simplified apparatus. Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a simplified and reliable apparatus for centering and spreading laundry articles employing a minimum number of parts, yet capable of operating at the speeds of modern commercial laundry plants.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a simplified apparatus for centering and spreading laundry articles, so that the primary fold line about which the carriage centralize may be easily adjusted, resulting in the division of the inlet end of the automatic feeding conveyor into a two-lane system. This permits the simultaneous feeding of smaller flat-work articles into the commercial laundry ironer.
In accordance with the present invention, a simplified apparatus for centering and spreading laundry flat-work articles upon the inlet end of the automatic feeding conveyor is created through the combination of elements including at least two carriages, one called the leading carriage and the other called the trailing carriage. Each carriage has clipping means for gripping adjacent corners or adjacent parts of a leading edge of the laundry article. Track means confines movement of the carriages along one axis. In the preferred form thereof, at least a second pair of carriages also is provided on the same track, with each pair of carriages being initially positioned at opposite ends of the track. Separate belts, chains or similar endless means (generally referred to in the Claims as an endless elongated means) substantially extending the length of the track are associated with each pair of carriages and are suspended between respective drive and idler pulleys. Such belts have both a first and a second run. The lead carriages containing clipping means are directly affixed to the first run of each respective belt or chain, and the trailing carriages, also with clipping means, idle with respect to the second run of each respective belt or chain. Separate abutment means are directly affixed to each second run at a point thereon, where, when a carriage pair is on one end of the track, the respective abutment means is positioned on the opposite side of a desired reference center-point by the same distance as the lead carriage is spaced therefrom. Independent drive means are provided for moving each belt or chain in reversable direction which in the preferred form of the invention, is a pneumatic cylinder rack and pinion gear arrangement.
The spreading and accurate centering of laundry articles by the apparatus of the present invention can be achieved with one of two possible modes. In one mode, the carriage pairs mounted at opposite ends of a common track, share the inlet end of the conveyor. In this particular mode, the carriage pairs must alternately spread and center an article at different times about the inlet end of the conveyor. In the other possible mode, a flat-work article, held by a particular pair of carriages, can be centered along one segment of the inlet end of the conveyor while another flat-work article can simultaneously be centered by another carriage pair on a different portion of the inlet end. Thus, in this mode, the inlet end of the conveyor is utilized as a two-lane system. The manner in which the apparatus of the present invention can be adjusted to permit such dual lane usage will be more fully explained later.
In either mode, the present invention functions by affixing the adjacent corners or edges of the flat-work piece to the clipping means of each carriage while the carriages are located to one side of the track and the inlet end of the feeding conveyor. Next, the drive means is activated to move the belt or chain in a direction so that the lead carriage proceeds to move down the track to draw the flat-work piece adjacent to the conveyor. The trailing carriage, idling with respect to the second run of the belt or chain, initially moves only slightly, but soon moves down the track to a greater extent as a result of the pull by the lead carriage on the laundry article after it has become completely unfurled. The movement of the carriages in the track proceeds until the abutment means contacts the trailing carriage, at which point a switch signals the release machanism (which in the preferred form is a switch sensitive to pneumatic pressure) to release the article from the clipping means. The article is then immediately transferred onto the inlet end of the conveyor by a transfer means which may be by a jet of air, or preferably by unique mechanical blades. After transfer of the article has been accomplished, the carriage pair returns to a start position at one end of the track.
The present invention, as disclosed above, automatically spreads laundry articles about the same reference point on the conveyor irrespective of the width of such article since article width is automatically accommodated by the abutment means contacting the trailing carriage. That is, article width is automatically accommodated for since contact of the abutment means with the trailing carriage will always occur at such point in time when the lead and trailing carriages are equidistantly positioned from a given reference center-point about which the article is to be centered.
Moreover, the simple adjustment of the position of the abutment means with respect to the second run of the belt can result in the shifting of the reference center-point on the conveyor about which the carriages centralize. Such adjustment of the reference point can result in the division of the automatic feeding conveyor into a two-lane system, previously described, for feeding smaller laundry articles from loading stations located at either side of the inlet end of the conveyor.